Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are refreshed ready for lots of wedding planning this year?? I remember the year that I got married, waiting until Christmas was over to have one final push at all the planning and getting round to sorting the little details out. And hands up if you have a honeymoon to plan??!! We’ve talked about where is best to go when but here are a few ideas of where is hot on the radar for 2016:

Cuba – this has always been on my list to visit and suddenly has been featured in every newspaper and travel magazine with Americans becoming every closer to being able to holiday there. There are now fewer restrictions for American tourists – in the past it was a complete no-go for them. So if it’s on your list, try and book a visit before it gets invaded by the Yanks {sorry any U.S. readers we love you really} and the first McDonald’s pops up! I’d love a few days in Havana to explore the old city and those famous cars followed by a few days on the beach. Just try to book the best quality hotel you can afford as standards aren’t as high there as the rest of the Caribbean.

Costa Rica – Again, one of those ‘go there before it gets invaded en mass’ kind of places with untouched beaches with a jungle backdrop and surprisingly super luxurious hotels. My friend went travelling there and the photos have had me desperate to visit ever since.

St Vincent and The Grenadines – Remember the post about honeymooning on a private island? Aka heaven on earth. This year St Vincent & The Grenadines opens a new international airport which means you can fly direct out of Europe compared to the long winded journey we had to make there.

Palm Island

Morocco – While parts of the Middle East have become unstable and unsafe for travel, Morocco remains an exception to this and shouldn’t be missed. I’ve posted about Marrakech in the past but for honeymooning I think Essauoria or Casablanca would have more of a mix of the coast as well as the luxury hotels and a mix of culture/magical souks. Mr & Mrs Smith have a good selection of hotels here.

Croatia – Still so much cheaper than the rest of Europe and more beautiful than a lot of it too! It reminded me of a cross between French/Greek/Italian architecture and a mix of food. We stayed in Cavtat last year just outside Dubrovnik {a personal post on it here} but I really want to go back and visit Hvar or Split further up the coast too. There is a lack of luxury/boutique hotels out there so it might be best to look into renting a villa or apartment.

Iceland – There are so many more flights to Reykjavik this year than ever before and it would be magical for a winters break, especially if you were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights! Lights aside though the thermal pools and snow sell it to me alone.

The Greek Islands – I really don’t think you could ever go wrong with the Greek Islands for pure and simple romance. Santorini is an obvious choice with the white washed buildings, magical sunsets and pools overlooking the Caldera {book somewhere in Oia with an infinity pool, we stayed in Pezoules, blog post here} but avoid high season as it really does get rammed with tourists. This year I’m going back to North East Corfu after we found an incredible villa for two that’s honeymoon heaven, find it here and I’ll be blogging about it later in the year.

Villa Iriti, so good I’m going back again and I never ever do that!

Sri Lanka is politically very stable and safe these days and has an incredible mix of jungle and beaches that rival others on the Indian Ocean like The Maldives/The Seychelles but at a much lower price. It’s on my list to visit, especially as my husband loves cricket so much. There is so much to see and do there or you could make it a two centre honeymoon with The Maldives, there are short connecting flights everyday.

Thailand has it all, islands to hop around with beaches you’ve seen in the movies as well as so much culture with Bangkok and Chang Mai up in the North, it’s set up for travelling around all three areas easily too. In Phuket, an island famous for it’s beaches is an ultra chic new hideaway that opened literally a month ago. It’s called Keemala and offers individual cottages and luxurious tree houses to stay in with complete privacy and relaxation whilst having the beach just a few minutes away.

Keemala’s magical treehouses in Phuket

If you’re wanting a safari, this year Tanzania is in the spotlight after the troubles in Kenya last year. Follow it up with a stay on Zanzibar, the island off the coast with out of this world beaches.

Closer to home for a stay-cation or minimoon, our favourite Pig Hotel chain is opening a new little piggy in Devon. And of course the most talked about hotel that opened this year in the UK was Soho Farmhouse. Yes please! Oh and remember The Scarlet Hotel with those hot-tubs overlooking the sea in Cornwall??

Mauritius will always be a favourite of mine, remember this post? Shangri-La’s Le Tousserok, a hotel that’s always been famed for luxury has just reopened after a huge refurb. It even has it’s own private island for guests and one of the best beaches on the island. I want to visit!!

Le Tousserok – Yes please!

Also, not strictly a destination but AirBnB has become one of my go to holiday tools these days, we’ve booked a trip to Venice with it this year and used it successfully in Paris a couple of years back. I love a hotel but sometimes having your own kitchen/more space/feeling like a local makes the trip even better. Make sure you read the reviews and check the host is certified but it can be much much cheaper than a hotel in a great location and more fun.

Likewise Tripadvisor is a must. Don’t book anywhere without reading reviews and checking out the real traveller photos.

And packing wise check out Ted Baker for their gorgeous new resort wear collections launching this Spring, I fell in love at their press day a few weeks ago.

Have you got any travel plans for this year yet, where is on your list? If you ever have anywhere you want us to research and put together a travel guide for then just let us know. On my list this year are trips to The Bahamas {at Emerald Bay here}, Italy that I’ll be putting together a full honeymoon guide for Rome, Tuscany and Venice, California/Hawaii for a family trip, Corfu as previously mentioned and France for our second wedding anniversary in July as well as a few UK staycations.

Happy honeymoon planning! What else is there to do on these drab January days, wanderlust is definitely kicking in.

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